2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Operation timeline, During the ceasefire, 26 October 2019
A U.S. military convoy drove south of Qamishli heading towards the oil fields in Deir el-Zour. The SOHR also reported the convoy when it earlier arrived from Iraq. Major General Igor Konashenkov, the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, characterized the US actions to send armored vehicles and combat troops to protect the oil in eastern Syria as 'banditry'. The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke with the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about Syria, with the Russian side emphasizing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria according to the Russian public statement.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Operation timeline, During the ceasefire, 26 October 2019
A large convoy of Syrian government troops was deployed to eight villages at the Ras al-Ayn area along the M4 highway and close to the Syrian–Turkish border.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Operation timeline, During the ceasefire, 26 October 2019
Casualties were reported after clashes in Tal Tamr and Ras al-Ayn, nine dead among the pro-Turkish forces and six dead among the SDF.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Operation timeline, During the ceasefire, 27 October 2019
The SDF released a statement saying: "The SDF is redeploying to new positions away from the Turkish–Syrian border across northeast Syria in accordance with the terms of the agreement in order to stop the bloodshed and to protect the inhabitants of the region from Turkish attacks."


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Operation timeline, During the ceasefire, 29 October 2019
The SOHR reported reoccurring clashes between joint Syrian–SDF forces and Turkish-led forces in the area between Tal Tamr and Ras al-Ayn. During the clashes along the border, Turkish forces reportedly killed 6 Syrian soldiers near Ras al-Ayn. Meantime, Turkish Ministry of National Defense announced that they have captured 18 persons who stated to be Syrian government forces.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Operation timeline, During the ceasefire, 29 October 2019
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that the Kurdish-led armed forces had withdrawn from the safe zone along the Syria–Turkey border.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Post-ceasefire activity, Diplomatic relations
In a press statement addressed to the SDF, the Syrian Defense Ministry announced that they will accept any unit who is willing to join the Syrian military in a joint effort to battle invading Turkish troops and the Turkish-supported Syrian rebels, and offers reconciliation to those not needed for security. The Syrian Interior Ministry offered civil services across the northeast, as they described the difficult living conditions due to the Turkish-led incursion. They also offered to integrate the Asayesh security forces of the SDF into the government's internal security agency. The Syrian Education Ministry offered to support the children, as they described that children are deprived of schooling due to the unrest.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Post-ceasefire activity, Diplomatic relations
In response, the SDF said that they appreciate the efforts to unify Syria's defense and repel the Turkish aggression but also stated: "Our position was clear from the beginning, wherein uniting the ranks should begin from a political settlement that recognizes and preserves the exclusivity of the SDF and its structure, and creates a sound mechanism for restructuring the Syrian military establishment as an overarching framework for unifying efforts."


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Post-ceasefire activity, Situation around the safe zone
On 31 October, the Turkish President Erdogan announces that the joint Turkish-Russian patrols in northeast Syria will begin on Friday. On 1 November 2019, Turkish and Russian forces started joint patrol.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Post-ceasefire activity, Situation around the safe zone
There have been intermittent clashes between Syrian government troops and Turkish-backed forces around Ras al-Ain and Tal Tamr. Turkey returned 18 Syrian government soldiers who were captured by Turkish-backed Syrian fighters south of Ras al-Ayn amidst growing tensions between Syria and Turkey. The Turkish Defense Ministry announced the handover on 1 November.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Post-ceasefire activity, Situation around the safe zone, 31 October 2019
The SNA shelled the village of Tal-al ward resulting in the deaths of 2 civilians and injuring an additional 5. Small skirmishes occurred in the western side of Tal Al-ward between forces of the SAA, SDF and SNA. The SAA withdrew from the villages of Temir, Zirgan and Dirbesiye following bombardment from the SNA. The SDF bombarded the villages of Azizia and Jamiliyyeh, which caused the 2 military vehicles of the SNA to be destroyed. 3 people where killed and 4 injured from the shelling.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Post-ceasefire activity, Situation around the safe zone, 31 October 2019
According to pro-SDF media US reinforcements arrived at Sarin Base including 17 armored vehicles and 82 trucks. Nevertheless, the base was captured by Russian forces on 17 November.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Post-ceasefire activity, Situation around the safe zone, 31 October 2019
November 2019 Syria bombings: On 2 November, a car bomb attack killed at least 13 civilians in Tell Abyad, 2 weeks after its capture from SDF. Turkey and SNA accuse the SDF as responsible for the attack. The SDF responded in a press statement stating: "We believe this is the work of the Turkish state and their intelligence and mercenaries to frighten and terrorize the local people".


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Post-ceasefire activity, Situation around the safe zone, 1 November 2019
The SNA attempted to enter the vicinity of Tell Tamer. Firefights between the SDF and SNA occurred in the villages of Anek al-Hawa, Tal Muhammad, Khirbet Jammu and Mahmudiya. The SDF claims it has made advances into the villages of Mahmudiya and Khirbet Jammu.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Post-ceasefire activity, Situation around the safe zone, 6 November 2019
The SNA launched an offensive north of Ayn Issa, shelling SDF positions. The SDF and SNA clashed in villages of Mahmudiyyeh, Soda, Arisha, Abu Rasin, al-Qantra area as well as other areas on the outskirts of Ayn Issa north of al-Raqqah city as well as the exchange of shelling between the SDF and SNA. Clashes also occurred in the village of Aneeq Al-Hawa of Abu Rasin town as well as Manajir town south of Ras Al-Ayn.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Post-ceasefire activity, Situation around the safe zone, 8 November 2019
Protests occurred in Northern Syria against joint Turkish/Russian patrol protesters threw rocks and shoes at armored vehicles. Turkish patrols responded with tear gas. One protester was run over during the protest and died shortly after.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Post-ceasefire activity, Situation around the safe zone, 11 November 2019
A car bomb south of Tell Abyad killed 8 civilians and wounded over 13. Turkey said YPG was responsible for the attack.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Post-ceasefire activity, Situation around the safe zone, 16 November 2019
A car bomb in Al-Bab, targeting its bus terminal, killed 19 people, including 13 civilians. Additional 30 persons were wounded. Turkish Ministry of National Defense said that YPG and PKK was responsible for the attack. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Post-ceasefire activity, Situation around the safe zone, 16 November 2019
Turkish Ministry of National Defense said that the Turkish Army defused over 988 IEDs and 442 mines, which were placed by the YPG, since the start of the operation.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Post-ceasefire activity, Situation around the safe zone, 16 November 2019
The SDF made advances into the northern countryside of Tal Tamr town in the area leading to Abu Rasin, capturing positions and points north of Tal Tamr, the TAF responded with drone strikes on SDF positions.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Post-ceasefire activity, Situation around the safe zone, 17 November 2019
Russian forces entered the abandoned US base near Sarrin and seized control of it. Video footage of the abandoned US base was shared by Russian forces who entered the base showing abandoned US equipment.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Post-ceasefire activity, Situation around the safe zone, 18 November 2019
According to a source pro-opposition media reported that an SNA commander, Abu Hafs Al-Gharbi was killed in clashes with the SDF.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Post-ceasefire activity, Situation around the safe zone, Ayn Issa clashes
Clashes occurred between SNA and SDF on 20 November around the SDF controlled Ayn Issa, clashes resulted in the death of 8 SNA Fighters and 4 SDF fighters in the first day of clashes. According to pro-SDF media SNA attacked villages around Ayn Issa with rockets, UAVs and heavy weapons, as well as the positions in Tell Tamer. As a result of fighting in Ayn Issa, guards of Ayn Issa refugee camp – home to ISIS families, left their posts to fight the SNA and several ISIS families managed to escape as a result.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Post-ceasefire activity, Situation around the safe zone, Ayn Issa clashes
Later in the same day SDF launched an offensive to retake Shrekrak silos from the SNA, SDF shelled SNA positions and the SNA shelled the surrounding villages controlled by SDF. The SNA continued to advance towards Ayn Issa, which resulted in 13 SNA fighters dying and 6 fighters dying among the SDF. SDF managed to regain full control of Ayn Issa and its surroundings after heavy clashes and a counter attack. Russian Planes flew over Ayn Issa after the failed offensive.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Post-ceasefire activity, Situation around the safe zone, 23 November 2019
A car bomb went off in Tell Abyad, killing 9 and wounding 20 civilians.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Post-ceasefire activity, Situation around the safe zone, 24 November 2019
The SDF captured villages near Ayn Issa, after failed SNA offensive near Ayn Issa. 21 SNA fighters were killed in the fighting. SDF casualties are unknown.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, War crimes
Syrian Kurdish authorities and doctors have reported about a number of patients with severe burns seemingly caused by a chemical weapon, accusing Turkey of employing the chemical white phosphorus to target people. Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former commander of the UK's chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear regiment, said of wounds he had been shown pictures of: "The most likely culprit is white phosphorus." Syrian Kurdish authorities also criticized Turkey for using napalm.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, War crimes
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has stated that they are aware of the situation and are collecting information over the reported use of chemical weapons but cautioned that they have not yet determined the credibility of the allegations. The SOHR stated they could not confirm the use of napalm or white phosphorus.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, War crimes
The OPCW has refused to launch an investigation into the alleged use of white phosphorus by Turkish forces, arguing that the issue falls outside their remit as white phosphorus injuries are produced by thermal rather than chemical properties. They also remarked that "White phosphorus is commonly used in military operations to produce smoke or provide illumination. When white phosphorus is used as smoke, illumination or as an incendiary weapon, its use does not fall under the purview of the Chemical Weapons Convention".


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, War crimes
Amnesty International stated that it had gathered evidence of war crimes and other violations committed by Turkish and Turkey-backed Syrian forces who are said to "have displayed a shameful disregard for civilian life, carrying out serious violations and war crimes, including summary killings and unlawful attacks that have killed and injured civilians".


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, War crimes
Numerous video footage and photographs have emerged where Syrian rebel forces are seen committing executions and other war crimes. Jim Jeffrey, the US envoy for Syria and the global coalition against ISIL, has stated in a hearing before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee that they have seen several incidents which they consider war crimes committed by the Turkish-supported Syrian opposition forces, and characterized these groups as very dangerous and even extremist in some cases. In a US House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, he stated that they have reached out to the Turkish government to discuss the war crimes committed by the Turkish-supported opposition.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, War crimes
Hevrin Khalaf, a Syrian Kurdish political leader, and other people, was summarily executed by the armed faction Ahrar al-Sharqiya. UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville stated that "Turkey could be deemed responsible as a State for violations committed by their affiliated armed groups, as long as Turkey exercises effective control over these groups, or the operations in the course of which those violations occurred. [


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, War crimes
...] we urge the Turkish authorities to immediately launch an impartial, transparent and independent investigation into both incidents, and to apprehend those responsible, some of whom should be easily identifiable from the video footage they themselves shared on social media." According to Committee on Violations under the Ministry of Defence of Syrian Interim Government, the perpetrators were detained and sent to the military judiciary. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has responded that Turkey will investigate any allegation of human rights violations in the region and will not tolerate any human rights violation.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, War crimes
Members of the pro-Turkish Levant Front also evicted Christians from their homes in Tell Abyad, though left the local Kurds mostly alone.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, War crimes, Reports by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
According to the SOHR Turkish backed forces have looted countless homes in Ras al-Ayn and Tal Abyad have engaged theft of property, physical, and verbal abuse, kidnappings of civilians for ransom and abuse against the citizens who did not flee. According to the report some civilians, unable to flee, paid smugglers $300 in order to be delivered to the nearest point of the Autonomous Administration areas (Rojava) at which point they were handed over to Turkish intelligence as members of the SDF after their money was taken from them.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, War crimes, Reports by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
A report by SOHR states that Turkish backed factions began demolishing houses in Kormazat villages of local Kurds who fled from fighting as well as members of the SDF from Tal Abyad, as well as taking barley in Abu Julud village in Mabrukah area in the western countryside of Ras Al-Ayn.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, War crimes, Population displacement
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the number of displaced people exceeds 300,000 amid the humanitarian crisis and conflict. People have fled towards the autonomous Kurdish region within the border of Iraq.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, War crimes, Population displacement
Ibrahim Kalin, a Turkish presidential spokesman, has stated that they do not want Syrian government or Kurdish forces in the Syrian border areas but intend Turkey to oversee the region. He further said that Turkey intends to resettle up to 2 million Syrian refugees, currently in Turkey, who will not go back if these areas are under the control of either of these forces.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, War crimes, Population displacement
In response to European criticism, Turkish President Erdoğan warned that Turkey will "open the gates" for 3.6 million refugees who are currently in Turkey to go to Europe if its military operation is called an invasion. This comes under the context that Europe has employed foreign countries such as Turkey to serve as border guards, in a policy of border externalization.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, War crimes, Population displacement
Amnesty International remarked that Turkey "has borne a disproportionate responsibility" hosting 3.6 million refugees from Syria while European countries "have largely devoted their energies to keeping people seeking asylum from their territories" including not resettling the refugees residing in Turkey, the tensions between Turkish citizens and Syrian refugees are rising, and the decline in Turkish public support for refugees has led to an expression in policies where the Turkish government aims to resettle its Syrian refugee population in a demilitarized safe zone with the 2019 military operation as the latest development.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, War crimes, Population displacement
Amnesty International has reported that Turkey is illegally and forcibly deporting its Syrian refugees back to Syria while portraying the returns as voluntary. Hami Aksoy, a Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman, stated that Turkey rejects Amnesty International's statements about the forceful repatriation and underscores that Turkey is conducting the safe and voluntary return of Syrians.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, War crimes, Population displacement
There are fears of ethnic cleansing of the Kurds from the region.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, War crimes, Population displacement
Jens Laerke, spokesman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that 94,000 civilians have returned to their homes, while 100,000 are still displaced.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, War crimes, ISIL prisoners
There are concerns about a possible resurgence of the Islamic State (ISIL) in the region, as the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)—who conducted counter-terrorism operations against ISIL and held the ISIL captives in the region—fight against the Turkish-led offensive and thus could lose control over the detainees. There are at least 10,000 ISIL prisoners and more than 100,000 ISIL family members and other displaced persons in several camps across northeastern Syria. A number of the ISIL detainees are foreign fighters, but their status have become increasingly uncertain due to the Turkish offensive as their own countries refuse to take them.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, War crimes, ISIL prisoners
As the threat of ISIL emerged as consequence, European countries have been criticized for failing to act by taking back their nationals, while the situation deteriorates. When asked about the situation after the US withdrawal from Syria, US President Donald Trump dismissed the threat of ISIL, remarking that "they're going to be escaping to Europe".


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, War crimes, ISIL prisoners
Îlham Ehmed, a Syrian Kurdish official, stated that the SDF felt betrayed by their American allies for "exposing us to an invasion by Turkish troops who aim to destroy us", remarking that they do not have the resources to both defend against the Turkish attacks and maintain security over the ISIL captives. Nevertheless, as stated by Jim Jeffrey, the US special envoy for Syria and the global coalition against ISIL, on 23 October, almost all of the prisons that the SDF were guarding are still secured and the SDF still have people there. The SDF commander Mazloum Abdi said, on 21 October, that there aren't any prisons in the Turkish-occupied areas and that all prisoners from those areas have been moved to prisons under their control.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, War crimes, ISIL prisoners
As a consequence of the US withdrawal and the Turkish offensive, the SDF will be more restricted in time and resources to help the United States in the fight against ISIL, as it is also focused on the threat from the Turkish forces and the preservation of its autonomy against Syria and Russia.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, War crimes, ISIL prisoners
According to Turkish sources, the SDF freed ISIL prisoners from a prison in Tal Abyad before Turkish forces could arrive. Other US officials, however, refuted the accusations, which they called baseless and false. They stated that the SDF are still defending their bases and are relocating ISIL detainees to facilities further south. They also reported that the Syrian National Army is purposefully releasing ISIL prisoners, previously held by the SDF before their territory was captured.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, War crimes, ISIL prisoners
At least 750 ISIL affiliates were reported by the SDF to have escaped from a displacement camp in Ayn Issa after Turkish bombing on 13 October 2019. On 23 October, Jim Jeffrey stated that over 100 prisoners of ISIL have escaped and that they do not know where the escapees are.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, War crimes, ISIL prisoners
On 18 October, Turkish Ministry of National Defense claimed that YPG had freed over 800 ISIL prisoners in Tal Abyad.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, War crimes, ISIL prisoners
On 19 November, the Defense Department inspector general released a report finding that the American withdrawal and subsequent Turkish incursion allowed ISIL to "reconstitute capabilities and resources within Syria and strengthen its ability to plan attacks abroad".


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Reactions, Domestic Turkish reaction
The Turkish offensive initially enjoyed support from party leaders across the political spectrum, with the support of three major opposition parties, but not the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). Opposition newsrooms and opposition parties were largely supportive of the operation. However, as time progressed, the Turkish opposition began criticizing the governmental strategy. Opposition Republican People's Party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu blamed the government's "adventurous foreign policy", stating that "If I do not respect the territorial integrity of another government, I will make enemies. Today we have made all the world as our enemies." Meanwhile, opposition İyi Party leader Meral Akşener urged the government to dialogue with Assad in order to make peace while criticizing President Erdoğan for his silence on U.S. sanctions.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Reactions, Domestic Turkish reaction
According to a research by Metropoll, the amount of support to the operation was at 79 percent, while Operation Olive Branch had 71 percent support according to the poll before.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Reactions, Domestic Turkish reaction, Detainments in Turkey
Turkish police detained more than 120 online critics of the Turkish operation for spreading "terrorist propaganda". Turkish prosecutors opened investigations against MPs Sezai Temelli and Pervin Buldan, co-leaders of the pro-Kurdish HDP party. Turkey detained at least 151 members of the HDP, including district officials, and at least 4 HDP mayors for reported links to the PKK, which Turkey considers to be a terrorist group. Turkish authorities have also detained web editor of opposition BirGün newspaper (who was later released) and managing editor of the online news portal Diken.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Reactions, Domestic Turkish reaction, Detainments in Turkey
The government launched a domestic campaign to eradicate dissenting opinions from media, social media, streets actions or any civil parties opposing the military operation. On 10 October, Turkey's broadcasting regulatory body RTÜK warned media that "any broadcasting that may negatively impact the morale and motivation of the soldiers or may mislead citizens through incomplete, falsified or partial information that serves the aims of terror". Social media dissidents, journalists, protesters have been criticized of "terrorism" and harassed via criminal investigation, arbitrary detention and travel bans. Dissidents face lengthy prison sentences if found guilty.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Reactions, Domestic Turkish reaction, Controversy in Northern Cyprus
On 12 October President of Northern Cyprus, Mustafa Akıncı made "anti-war" remarks on in response to the operation, in which, although defending the right of Turkey to defend itself, said that in all wars there will be much bloodshed. Erdoğan as well as VP Fuat Oktay condemned Akıncı's statement. While Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus, Ersin Tatar's National Unity Party attempted to get a resolution through the legislature that condemned Akıncı, and called for his resignation for his statement. Akıncı also received a slew of death threats, and filed a complaint on 17 October to the police. Erdoğan said that Akıncı's legitimacy is thanks to Turkey, and should therefore support Turkey. Akıncı rebuked Erdogan, stating "There is only one authority decides how to get to this office, it's the Turkish Cypriot people".


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Reactions, Sanctions and suspension of arms sales, European Union
On 10 October, a large majority of Dutch MPs backed the introduction of sanctions against Turkey. France, Germany, Sweden, Finland, and Norway implemented export restrictions on arms exports to Turkey and France as well as Sweden expressed their intention to back an EU-wide weapons embargo on the nation, with discussions in the European Union on possible union-wide sanctions on Turkey beginning on the 13th. Italy, formerly Turkey's largest arms supplier, later joined the arms embargo against Turkey.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Reactions, Sanctions and suspension of arms sales, European Union
On 14 October, all EU countries agreed to stop selling arms to Turkey, but stopped short of an official union-wide arms embargo. The EU also issued a press release condemning "...Turkeyʼs unilateral military action in North East Syria which causes unacceptable human suffering, undermines the fight against Daʼesh and threatens heavily European security."


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Reactions, Sanctions and suspension of arms sales, United States
Trump said he was working with congressional leaders, including the Democratic opposition, to impose "powerful" economic sanctions against Turkey for its cross-border attacks in north-eastern Syria. Senator Lindsey Graham warned that he would "introduce bipartisan sanctions against Turkey if they invade Syria". He said he would also "call for their suspension from NATO if they attack Kurdish forces who assisted the United States in the destruction of the ISIS Caliphate". Bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the Senate to sanction Turkey, as well as in the House of Representatives.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Reactions, Sanctions and suspension of arms sales, United States
On 14 October, the U.S. government declared sanctions against the Turkish ministries of defense, interior and energy. The U.S. statement delivered by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Vice President Mike Pence denounced the Turkish government for "endangering innocent civilians, and destabilizing the region, including undermining the campaign to defeat ISIS", said that the U.S. had not given a "green light" to a full-on Turkish invasion, and warned that sanctions would continue and worsen "until Turkey embraces an immediate ceasefire". On the same day, U.S. President Donald Trump demanded a ceasefire from Turkey in a conversation with Turkish President Erdoğan, froze negotiations on a $100bn US-Turkey trade deal, and imposed sanctions on Turkish government officials.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Reactions, Sanctions and suspension of arms sales, United States
On 16 October, the United States House of Representatives, in a rare bipartisan vote of 354 to 60, "condemned" President Trump's withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, for, in the view of both parties, "abandoning U.S. allies, undermining the struggle against ISIS, and spurring a humanitarian catastrophe".


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Reactions, Sanctions and suspension of arms sales, United States
On 17 October, after reaching a ceasefire agreement with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, US Vice President Mike Pence announced that all sanctions imposed on Turkey by the United States would be lifted and there would be no further sanctions once a permanent ceasefire was reached in the operation.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Reactions, Sanctions and suspension of arms sales, United States
On 29 October 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 405–11 to recognize the Armenian genocide, as a result of Turkey's invasion of Syria. However, the motion was blocked in the Senate by South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, following a request from the White House. On 12 December 2019, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide, after it had been previously blocked by three different Republican Senators (Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, David Perdue of Georgia and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota) at the request of the White House.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Reactions, Media coverage
In Turkey, authorities such as the Chief Prosecutor's Office of Istanbul have been criticized of censoring critical reports of the Turkish offensive into Syria through detaining or harassing journalists in an attempt to "intimidate the media into silence". Furthermore, Turkish President Erdoğan has written op-eds about the Turkish offensive, which has been characterized as propagandist in nature.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Reactions, Media coverage
Much of western media's coverage and commentary of the U.S.'s role in the conflict emphasized President Donald Trump's "strategic blunder" that led to the Turkish offensive, particularly his upending of the U.S.'s general alliance with the Syrian Kurds, the withdrawal process of U.S. ground forces, and the greater geopolitical and humanitarian impact of the offensive.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Reactions, Media coverage
ABC News was criticized for incorrectly portraying footage from a Kentucky gun range as footage of Turkish forces bombing Syrian territory in early October. This portrayal of the incident in the video was quickly debunked. The news network has since issued an apology for their mistake.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Aftermath
In October 2019, in response to the Turkish offensive, Russia arranged for negotiations between the Syrian government in Damascus and the Kurdish-led forces. Mazloum Abdi, the Syrian Kurdish commander-in-chief, announced that they are ready to partner with Vladimir Putin (Russia) and Bashar al-Assad (Syria), stating that "We know that we would have to make painful compromises with Moscow and Bashar al-Assad if we go down the road of working with them. But if we have to choose between compromises and the genocide of our people, we will surely choose life for our people."


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Aftermath
The details of the agreement is unknown, but there are reports that suggest that the SDF will be incorporated into the Syrian Armed Forces and that northeastern Syria will come under direct rule of the Syrian government in Damascus. According to Syrian Kurdish officials, the deal allows Syrian government forces to take over security in some border areas, but their own administration would maintain control of local institutions.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Aftermath
The prospects for Kurdish autonomy in the region was severely diminished, because the Kurds were exposed to the Turkish-led offensive by the US withdrawal and the Russia-backed Syrian government forces under Assad—whose commonality is enmity towards Turkey and Sunni rebel militias—regained their foothold in northeast Syria after the Kurds had to seek their help. In regards to the United States and the situation, Mazloum Abdi stated that "We are disappointed and frustrated by the current crisis. Our people are under attack, and their safety is our paramount concern. Two questions remain: How can we best protect our people? And is the United States still our ally?" A deep sense of betrayal by their once American allies has come to be felt among the Syrian Kurdish populace.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Aftermath
As announced by Russia's Ministry of Defense on 15 October, Russian forces have started to patrol the region along the line of contact between Turkish and Syrian forces, indicating that Russia is filling the security vacuum from the sudden US withdrawal. Video footage shows Russian soldiers and journalists touring a base that the US left behind. Alexander Lavrentiev, Russia's special envoy on Syria, warned that the Turkish offensive into Syria is unacceptable and stated that Russia is seeking to prevent conflict between Turkish and Syrian troops.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Aftermath
Several US lawmakers have criticized the abandonment of their Kurdish allies, remarking that it undermines US credibility as an ally while benefiting Russia, Iran, and the Syrian regime of Assad. Meanwhile, several commentators in Moscow have stated that the situation is not in the immediate Russian interests, as the Turkish intervention in Syria clashes with Russia's backing of the Syrian government in the region, but it may provide opportunities for Russia as mediator as the US withdraws from Syria. Commentators have remarked that, since the US withdrawal, Russia has cemented its status as the key power broker in the Middle East.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Aftermath
Due to the situation in Syria, there are signs of a schism between Turkey and other NATO members, in which NATO is seen as effectively "powerless" to manage the situation and the Turkish government is aware that NATO does not hold much leverage. Furthermore, US President Trump, as well as US military and diplomatic officials, has cited the NATO membership of Turkey as a key reason that the United States can not be involved in the conflict between the Turkish and Syrian Kurdish forces. Meanwhile, due to Turkey's strategic position between Europe and the Middle East, the NATO alliance members are in a situation where they have limited themselves to relatively muted criticism.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Aftermath
The U.S. is reviewing the potential withdrawal of its nuclear weapons from Incirlik airbase under NATO's nuclear sharing as a result of the Turkish offensive per NYT. Republican senator Lindsay Graham and Democratic representative Eric Swalwell have called for possibly suspending Turkey's membership in NATO.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Aftermath, New operational developments, December 2019 to present
On 9 December, Russian troops entered Raqqa and began distributing humanitarian aid.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Aftermath, New operational developments, December 2019 to present, Turkish actions
Erdogan stated that Turkey was ready to resettle the Syrian refugees in the northern area that Turkey had invaded, and that Turkey would pay for it if necessary. On 9 December 2019, various local accounts indicated that Turkey was moving Syrian refugees into its zone of operations in Northern Syria for the first time. Erdogan said that Turkey was working to settle one million people in the cities of Tal Abyad and Ras Al-Ain in northern Syria. This has led to fears of population change.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Aftermath, New operational developments, December 2019 to present, Turkish actions
Russia said it would pledge to remove Turkish forces from a key highway in northern Syria, and replace them with Russian forces to maintain stability. Meanwhile, Turkey began to appoint mayors in several northern Syrian towns.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Aftermath, New operational developments, December 2019 to present, Turkish actions
It was reported that the Russian and Turkish armies had made a deal whereby electricity would be supplied to Tal Abyad by Russia's allies, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF); while water would be supplied by the Alouk water station that is controlled by Turkish forces. This deal was mainly facilitated by Russian military officials.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Aftermath, New operational developments, December 2019 to present, Turkish actions
It appeared that Turkey was withdrawing all of its forces away from the al-Shirkark silos, which hold important supplies of wheat, this seemed to be a result of Russian mediation.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Aftermath, New operational developments, December 2019 to present, Turkish actions
Russian and Turkish forces are continuing their joint patrols. Questions remained about how much control Turkey has over its proxies, such as the Free Syrian Army.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Aftermath, New operational developments, December 2019 to present, Syrian and AANES actions
Some reports stated that Bashar Assad was favorable towards Russia's efforts to restore calm and to stabilize the situation in Syria.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Aftermath, New operational developments, December 2019 to present, Syrian and AANES actions
Meanwhile, various Kurdish faction that were historical rivals began to meet in order to work together more. Their stated reason was to stand together against Russia and Turkey more strongly if needed. The Russian government has informed the Kurdish factions that they should reconcile and come up with a unified set of demands to clarify to Russia. Various Kurdish factions blamed each other and their council for lack of progress.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Aftermath, New operational developments, December 2019 to present, Syrian and AANES actions
Mustafa Bali, head of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said there were some agreements on the ground with the Syrian government, for Syrian forces to be deployed along the border. Russian military officials forged agreements between Syria, Turkey and SDF for areas to be patrolled by each side.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Aftermath, New operational developments, December 2019 to present, Syrian and AANES actions
The national Syrian government sent representatives to northeast Syria to meet with local groups there in order to address their concerns and to emphasize unity and combined effort to address problems. A meeting occurred in Qamishli city, in northeast Syria, that included Syrian national officials, and delegates from Kurdish, Arab, and Syrian figures and forces. The delegates emphasized their desire to help to protect Syria as a whole.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Aftermath, New diplomatic developments, December 2019 to present
At a panel discussion on the conflict in December 2019, several experts said the conflict was slowly moving towards resolution. One expert said that the "Astana" diplomatic process, involving Turkey, Russia, and Iran, was having some positive results. Experts also said that Bashar Assad had made progress in restoring rule by local councils in areas affected by the conflict.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Aftermath, New diplomatic developments, December 2019 to present
Russia said it would pledge to remove Turkish forces from a key highway in northern Syria, and replace them with Russian forces to maintain stability. Meanwhile, Turkey began to appoint mayors in several northern Syrian towns.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Aftermath, New diplomatic developments, December 2019 to present
On 9 December 2019, various local accounts indicated that Turkey was moving Syrian refugees into its zone of operations in northern Syria for the first time. Erdogan said that Turkey was working to settle one million people in the cities of Tal Abyad and Ras Al-Ain in northern Syria, leading to fears of population changes.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Aftermath, New diplomatic developments, December 2019 to present, Diplomacy with NATO member nations
At the NATO summit in London in December 2019, President Emmanuel Macron of France highlighted major differences with Turkey over the definition of terrorism, and said there was little chance this aspect of the conflict could be resolved positively. Macron criticized Turkey strongly for fighting against groups who had been allied with France and the West in fighting terrorism.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Aftermath, New diplomatic developments, December 2019 to present, Diplomacy with NATO member nations
Numerous issues in resolving the conflict emerged at the NATO summit in London. Turkey proposed a safe zone where Syrian refugees could be relocated, but this idea did not receive support from all parties. One professed "exclusive" press report claimed that prior to the NATO Summit, there was a meeting at 10 Downing Street of the leaders of France, the UK, Germany and Turkey. One key point that emerged that the Western countries insisted that refugees could only be relocated voluntarily. Meanwhile, there were concerns in NATO about Turkey's growing closeness with Russia.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Aftermath, New diplomatic developments, December 2019 to present, Diplomacy with NATO member nations
Erdogan claimed that a four-way summit on Syria was scheduled to occur in Turkey in February 2020, to include Turkey, Germany, the UK and France.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Aftermath, New diplomatic developments, December 2019 to present, Diplomacy with nations outside NATO
At a meeting in Damascus, Russian and Syrian officials clearly stated their support for Syria regaining control over all of its territory. The United Arab Emirates also expressed official support for Assad.


2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Aftermath, New diplomatic developments, December 2019 to present, Diplomacy with nations outside NATO
A new round of meetings for the Astana summit process took place in the Kazakh capital Nur Sultan. The meeting includes Russia, Syria, Turkey and Iran.


2019 Turkmenistan Cup
The 2019 Turkmenistan Cup (Turkmen: Türkmenistanyň Kubogy 2019) is the 26th season of the Turkmenistan Cup knockout tournament. The cup winner qualifies for the 2020 AFC Cup.


2019 Turkmenistan Cup
The draw of the tournament was held on 6 July 2019. The competition started on 27 July 2018 and finished on 14 December 2019. The final match was played at the Nusaý Stadium in Ashgabat.


2019 Turkmenistan Cup, First round, First leg
The first leg match will be played on 27 July 2019.


2019 Turkmenistan Cup, First round, Second leg
The second leg match will be played on 31 July 2019.


2019 Turkmenistan Cup, Quarter-finals, First legs
First legs were played on 13 and 15 August 2019.


2019 Turkmenistan Cup, Semi-finals, Second legs
Second legs were played on 3 and 4 December 2019.


2019 Tuvalu A-Division
The 2019 Tuvalu A-Division was the 19th season of top flight association football in Tuvalu. The season started and finish on 2019.


2019 Tuvalu A-Division, Participating Clubs
The 2019 edition of the A-Division was played between 9 teams:


2019 Tuvalu A-Division, Champions
In the 2019 edition of the Tuvalu A-Division, the main Nauti FC team was delighted to win the competition after two seasons.


2019 Tuvaluan general election
General elections were held in Tuvalu on 9 September 2019. There were 37 candidates seeking election to the Parliament, two of whom are women: Valisi Alimau, who was contesting in the Nukufetau electorate, and Puakena Boreham who was seeking re-election in the Nui electorate.


2019 Tuvaluan general election
On 19 September 2019, Kausea Natano was voted into the office of Prime Minister of Tuvalu by a parliamentary majority consisting of 10 MPs. He thus replaced incumbent Enele Sopoaga, who had been holding the position for the past six years and was seeking re-election to a new term. Samuelu Teo was elected as Speaker of the Parliament of Tuvalu.


2019 Tuvaluan general election, Electoral system
The Electoral Provisions (Parliament) Amendment Act 2019 increased the number of elected representatives for the electorate of Nukulaelae to become 2 PMs. So that each of the 8 island electorates is represented by 2 MPs (Niulakita is represented by the MPs from Niutao). The 16 members of Parliament are elected in eight two-member constituencies using multiple non-transferable vote. As there are no formal political parties, all candidates run as independents.


2019 Tuvaluan general election, Results
In the Nukufetau electorate the caretaker prime minister, Enele Sopoaga, was returned to Parliament, however Satini Manuella, Taukelina Finikaso and Maatia Toafa, who were ministers, were not returned. Seven new members of Parliament were elected.


2019 Tyrone Senior Football Championship
The 2019 Tyrone Senior Football Championship is the 114th edition of Tyrone GAA's premier gaelic football tournament for clubs in Tyrone Senior Football League Division 1. 16 teams compete with the winners receiving the O'Neill Cup and representing Tyrone in the Ulster Senior Club Football Championship.


2019 Tyrone Senior Football Championship
Coalisland Fianna were the defending champions after they defeated Killyclogher St. Mary's in the 2018 final. However the defence of their title came undone at the Semi-Final stage when losing to eventual champions Trillick St. Macartan's.


2019 Tyrone Senior Football Championship
Tattyreagh St. Patrick's, Eglish St. Patrick's and Dungannon Thomas Clarke's returned to senior championship football in 2019.


2019 Tyrone Senior Football Championship
Tattyreagh St. Patrick's made the straight drop back down to the Intermediate ranks when finishing bottom of the 2019 S.F.L. They were followed by Edendork St. Malachy's who lost their S.F.L. Relegation Playoff to Eglish St. Patrick's, who in turn were then relegated after losing their SFL/IFL Promotion/Relegation Playoff to Loughmacrory St. Teresa's. I.F.C. and I.F.L. champions Galbally Pearse's and I.F.L. runners-up Pomeroy Plunkett's will also replace these relegated teams in 2020.


2019 Tyrone Senior Football Championship
On 13 October 2019, Trillick St. Macartan's claimed their 8th S.F.C. crown and their first triumph since 2015 when defeating Errigal Ciarán by 0-12 to 2-4 in the final at Healy Park.


2019 Tyrone Senior Football Championship
The draw for the 2019 S.F.C. was made on 28 February 2019.


2019 Tyrone Senior Football Championship, Format
The championship has a straight knock out structure. The 16 teams that  take part in the championship are the 16 teams in the Senior Football League (SFL).


2019 Tyrone Senior Football Championship, Format
Either two or three teams are relegated each year from the SFC and SFL. The 16th placed team in the SFL is automatically relegated to the IFL. The 15th and 14th placed teams then play a SFL relegation playoff with the loser being relegated. The winner plays the winner of the IFL promotion playoffs - if they win, they remain in the SFC and  SFL - if they lose they are relegated to the IFC and IFL. (The winner of the SFC can't be relegated. If the championship winner finishes in the bottom 3 in the league, the 13th placed team enters the relegation scenario.)


2019 Tyrone Senior Football Championship, Format
Either two or three teams are promoted to the SFC each year. The IFC champions and the IFL champions are automatically promoted to the senior grade (If a team wins the IFC and IFL, the 2nd placed team in the IFL are automatically promoted). 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th place in the IFL enter the IFL promotion semi-finals (If the IFC champions are placed in the top 5 the 6th placed team enter the IFL promotion semi-finals) with the eventual winner of the final earning the right to play the loser of the SFL relegation playoff in a relegation/promotion playoff.


2019 Tyrone Senior Football Championship, Team Changes
The following teams have changed division since the 2018 championship season.


2019 Tyrone Senior Football Championship, Round 1
All 16 teams enter Round 1 in a random open draw. The 8 losers are eliminated from the championship while the 8 winners proceed to the Quarter-Finals.


2019 U Sports Men's Basketball Championship
The 2019 U Sports Men's Final 8 Basketball Tournament was held March 7–10, 2019 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was hosted by Dalhousie University, which has hosted the championship five other times, most recently in 2017. Sports & Entertainment Atlantic (S|E|A) was a production partner for the event, its third year coordinating the championship game. The tournament was held at the Scotiabank Centre for the third consecutive year and it was the 32nd time that the tournament was played in Halifax. The Carleton University Ravens won the tournament, beating defending national champions, the University of Calgary Dinos, 83-49. The win extended Carleton's record number of men's basketball titles to 14.


2019 U Sports Men's Volleyball Championship
The 2019 U Sports Men's Volleyball Championship was held March 15–17, 2019, in Quebec City, Quebec, to determine a national champion for the 2018–19 U Sports men's volleyball season. The tournament was played at PEPS at Université Laval. It was the 12th time that Laval had hosted the tournament, which is the most out of any program. This was also the first tournament to no longer feature an Atlantic University Sport champion as that conference had withdrawn from men's volleyball competition in 2018.


2019 U Sports Men's Volleyball Championship
The second-seeded Trinity Western Spartans defeated the top-seeded Brandon Bobcats in a re-match of the Canada West Championship game as the Spartans won the sixth national championship in program history.


2019 U Sports University Cup
The 2019 U Sports Men's University Cup Hockey Tournament (57th annual) was held March 14–17, 2019, in Lethbridge, Alberta and played at the ENMAX Centre. The Lethbridge Pronghorns, a member of U Sports Canada West conference, are the designated host for this awarded year. The ENMAX center is located 15 minutes from campus, in south Lethbridge. This event marks the first appearance of the tournament in Lethbridge and 10th time in Alberta (7 times in Edmonton and 2 times in Calgary).


2019 U Sports University Cup
The New Brunswick Reds won their 8th title over the defending champion Alberta Golden Bears. UNB last won the University Cup in 2017. This marked only the 2nd victory for an Atlantic program in 10 trips to Alberta (the other victory was Moncton, in 1981, hosted by Calgary).


2019 U Sports University Cup
The tournament format remained unchanged: 8 teams, single elimination and Bronze medal games, with 3 conference champions, 3 conference runner-ups, OUA Bronze winner and host.


2019 U Sports University Cup, Road to the Cup, OUA playoffs
Note 1: The Queen's Cup championship game must be held in Ontario (part of the arrangement when the RSEQ hockey league merged with the OUA). When a Quebec-based OUA-East representative is the higher seed and should 'host' the game - the game shall be hosted by the OUA-West team instead, but the OUA-East team shall be the 'home' team and have last change.


2019 U Sports University Cup, Road to the Cup, OUA playoffs
Note 2: Queen's forfeited a Feb. 9 regular season game against McGill after it was determined they dressed an ineligible player. The subsequent loss and adjusted record would relegate Queen's to the 4th seed (previously 3rd), while McGill promoted to #3 (previously 4th). However, due to the late determination of this foul (two hours before the start of the first round of the playoffs) - it was determined that the opening round matchups would remain unchanged. Going forward into the second round, the two teams (if they advanced) would be reseeded accordingly.


2019 U Sports University Cup, University Cup Tournament
The eight teams to advance to the tournament are listed below. The three conference champions must be seeded 1-3 based on the pre-tournament Top 10 Rankings followed by the OUA Runner-up (seed #4). The remaining four seeds are for the AUS Finalist, Canada West Finalist, OUA Third-place and host. Their seedings are based on the pre-tournament rankings.


2019 U Sports University Cup, University Cup Tournament, Tournament format
The tournament is a traditional 8 team, single elimination ladder with Bronze Medal game between the two semi-final losers. Games that are tied after regulation play a 10-minute overtime period following the 3rd period. If there is no score after the first overtime, the ice is cleaned and they would play 20 minute periods (with ice cleaned between periods) until there is a winner.


2019 U Sports University Cup, University Cup Tournament, Tournament format
The higher seed is the 'Home' team for each game (the home team must wear their 'white' jerseys and will get the last change during stoppages of play).


2019 U Sports University Cup, Tournament All-Stars
Alex Dubeau, from the UNB Reds, was selected as the Major W.J. 'Danny' McLeod Award for U Sports University Cup MVP. Dubeau played all three games for UNB (Game 1 MVP versus Carleton) and finished the tournament with a GAA of 1.33 and Save Percentage of 0.948.


2019 U Sports University Cup, Tournament All-Stars
Joining Dubeau on the tournament all-star team were:Forward: Kris Bennett (UNB Reds)Forward: Christopher Clapperton (UNB Reds)Forward: Luke Philp (Alberta Golden Bears)Defenseman: Marcus McIvor (UNB Reds)Defenseman: Jason Fram (Alberta Golden Bears)


2019 U Sports Women's Basketball Championship
The 2019 U Sports Women's Final 8 Basketball Tournament was held March 7–10, 2019, in Toronto, Ontario. It was hosted by Ryerson University at the Mattamy Athletic Centre at the Gardens, which was the first time that Ryerson had hosted the championship game. The McMaster Marauders won the gold medal and earned the first Bronze Baby Championship in program history.


2019 U Sports Women's Ice Hockey Championship
The 2019 U Sports Women's Ice Hockey Championship was held March 14–17, 2020, in Charlottetown, P.E.I.. Guelph defeated McGill by a 1-0 mark in the championship game, as Valerie Lamenta earned the shutout. Guelph captain Kaitlin Lowy scored the game-winning goal, as the Gryphons won their first-ever national championship. Of note, the 2019 event broke attendance records for the history of the U SPORTS women’s hockey championship.


2019 U Sports Women's Volleyball Championship
The 2019 U Sports Women's Volleyball Championship was held March 15–17, 2019, in Edmonton, Alberta, to determine a national champion for the 2018–19 U Sports women's volleyball season. The tournament was played at Saville Community Sports Centre at the University of Alberta. It was the sixth time that Alberta had hosted the tournament with the most recent occurring in 2010.


2019 U Sports Women's Volleyball Championship
The eighth-seeded UBC Thunderbirds overcame a two-set deficit in the championship match to defeat the defending champion Ryerson Rams three sets to two to win the 12th championship in program history. It was the first time in U Sports women's volleyball history that a team seeded eighth had won the national championship.


2019 U Sports football season
The 2019 U Sports football season began on August 23, 2019 with the Concordia Stingers hosting the Montreal Carabins in Montreal, Quebec. The Atlantic University Sport conference started play the following day and the Ontario University Athletics conference began play on August 25, 2019. The Canada West teams began play during the following weekend, on August 30, 2019. All 27 teams will play eight regular season games against opponents within the same conference.


2019 U Sports football season
The conference championships were played on November 9 and the season ended on November 23 with the 55th Vanier Cup championship at PEPS Stadium in Quebec City, Quebec. The Calgary Dinos defeated the Montreal Carabins 27-13 to win their fifth Vanier Cup, and their first since 1995.


2019 U Sports football season, Post-season
The Vanier Cup is played between the champions of the Mitchell Bowl and the Uteck Bowl, the national semi-final games. In 2019, according to the rotating schedule, the Canada West Hardy Trophy championship team hosted the Yates Cup Ontario championship team for the Mitchell Bowl. The winners of the Atlantic conference's Loney Bowl hosted the Quebec conference Dunsmore Cup championship team for the Uteck Bowl.


2019 U-12 Baseball World Cup
The 2019 U-12 Baseball World Cup is an under 12 international baseball tournament being held from July 26 to August 4 in Tainan, Taiwan. It is the fifth edition of the tournament.


2019 U-12 Baseball World Cup, Format
First Round: The 12 participating teams were drawn into two groups of 6 for round robin. The top 3 teams from each pool advance to the Super Round while the bottom 3 teams play in the Consolation Round.


2019 U-12 Baseball World Cup, Format
Consolation Round: The bottom 3 teams from each pool play each of the other bottom 3 teams from the other pool (ex. The 4th place team from Group A plays the 4th, 5th, and 6th place teams from Pool B). The results of the previous round robin carry over for teams originally in the same pool (ex. The 4th place team from Group A beats both the 5th and 6th place teams from Group A in pool play and starts the consolation round with a 2-0 record.). Teams don't advance to play any more games after the consolation round.


2019 U-12 Baseball World Cup, Format
Super Round: The top 3 teams from each pool play each of the other top 3 teams from the other pool (ex. The 1st place team from Group A plays the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place teams from Group B). The results of the previous round robin carry over for teams originally in the same pool (ex. If the 1st place team from Group A beats both the 2nd and 3rd place teams from Group A in pool play and starts the Super Round with a 2-0 record. The 3rd and 4th-place finishers advance to the Bronze Medal Game, and the 1st and 2nd-place finishers advance to the Gold Medal Game.


2019 U-12 Baseball World Cup, Format
Medal Round: The Medal Round consists of the Bronze Medal Game, contested by the 3rd and 4th-place finishers from the Super Round, and the Gold Medal Game, contested by the 1st and 2nd-place finishers.


2019 U-12 Baseball World Cup, Teams
Twelve teams qualified for the tournament. The number in parentheses is their nations ranking in the WBSC World Rankings prior to the start of the tournament.


2019 U-12 Baseball World Cup, Teams
Chinese Taipei is the official WBSC designation for the team representing the state officially referred to as the Republic of China, more commonly known as Taiwan. (See also political status of Taiwan for details.)


2019 U-12 Baseball World Cup, Medal Rounds
Both the Gold and Bronze Medal game were played at ASPAC Youth Stadium in Tainan.


2019 U-18 Baseball World Cup
The 2019 U-18 Baseball World Cup or the XXVIV U-18 Baseball World Cup is an international baseball tournament being held by the World Baseball Softball Confederation for players 18-year-old and younger. The 2019 edition is being held in Gijang, South Korea from August 30 to September 8, 2019.


2019 U-18 Baseball World Cup, Format
First Round: The twelve participating nations were drawn into two groups of 6, in which single round robin will occur. The top 3 nations from each group advances to the Super Round, while the bottom 3 nations from each group advance to the Consolation Round.


2019 U-18 Baseball World Cup, Format
Consolation Round: The 6 nations in this round play one game against the teams they have not played yet. (example: The 4th placed team from Group A will play the bottom three teams from Group B)


2019 U-18 Baseball World Cup, Format
Super Round: The format in the Super Round is similar to that of the Consolation Round. Each team plays the top three teams from the opposing group. (example: The 1st placed team from Group B will play the top three teams from Group A) The standings for this round will include the 2 games played against the 2 other Second Round qualifiers from the team's First Round group, and the 3 games played in the Second Round, for a total of 5 games. The 3rd and 4th place finishers advance to the Bronze Medal Game, and the 1st and 2nd place finishers advance to the Gold Medal Game.


2019 U-18 Baseball World Cup, Format
Finals: The Finals consist of the Bronze Medal Game, contested by the 3rd and 4th place finishers, and the Gold Medal Game, contested by the 1st and 2nd place finishers.


2019 U-18 Baseball World Cup, Teams
The following 12 teams qualified for the tournament. The number shown in parenthesis is the country's position in the WBSC World Rankings going into the competition.


2019 U-18 Baseball World Cup, Teams
Chinese Taipei is the official WBSC designation for the team representing the state officially referred to as the Republic of China, more commonly known as Taiwan. (See also political status of Taiwan for details.)


2019 U-18 Baseball World Cup, Statistics leaders, Pitching
* Minimum 0.8 innings pitched per game** They are tied with others with a 0.00 ERA but they pitched the most innings (10.0)


2019 U-19 Asia Rugby Championship
The 2019 U-19 Asia Rugby Championship is an international rugby union competition for Under 20 national teams in Asia. The winners in Asia Rugby U19 Championship secured a berth at the 2020 World Rugby Under 20 Trophy.


2019 U-19 Asia Rugby Championship, Top division
The top division was held in Kaohsiung, Taiwan from 8–14 December 2019 in a round-robin tournament format.


2019 U.S. Cellular 250
The 2019 U.S. Cellular 250 is a NASCAR Xfinity Series race held on July 27, 2019, at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. Contested over 250 laps on the 0.8-mile (1.3 km) D-shaped oval, it was the 19th race of the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.


2019 U.S. Cellular 250, Background, Track
Iowa Speedway is a 7/8-mile (1.4 km) paved oval motor racing track in Newton, Iowa, United States, approximately 30 miles (48 km) east of Des Moines. The track was designed with influence from Rusty Wallace and patterned after Richmond Raceway, a short track where Wallace was very successful. It has over 25,000 permanent seats as well as a unique multi-tiered Recreational Vehicle viewing area along the backstretch.


2019 U.S. Cellular 250, Practice, First practice
Christopher Bell was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 24.297 seconds and a speed of 129.646 mph (208.645 km/h).


2019 U.S. Cellular 250, Practice, Final practice
Cole Custer was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 24.236 seconds and a speed of 129.972 mph (209.170 km/h).


2019 U.S. Cellular 250, Qualifying
Christopher Bell scored the pole for the race with a time of 23.710 seconds and a speed of 132.855 mph (213.809 km/h).


2019 U.S. Cellular 250, Race, Summary
Christopher Bell started on pole and lead for the first 49 laps. The first cautions occurred when Justin Allgaier and Austin Cindric both hit the wall on lap 45. Bell won stage 1 ahead of Cole Custer. On lap 75, Riley Herbst spun and collected Jeremy Clements. Stage 2 was also won by Bell, whose strong lead continued.


2019 U.S. Cellular 250, Race, Summary
In the later half of the race, David Starr and Cole Custer each ended up hitting the wall on separate instances and brought out cautions. With 48 laps to go, Michael Annett brought out a caution after spinning in turn 2. On lap 219, the caution was thrown for fluid on the track. Cleaning trucks were in the entrance of pit road when the drivers began pitting, and Dillon Bassett crashed into the rear of one of the trucks, heavily damaging his car.


2019 U.S. Cellular 250, Race, Summary
In the final moments of the race, Chase Briscoe raced hard with Tyler Reddick and John Hunter Nemechek, eventually leaving them behind while Bell's lead increased. With 5 laps remaining, Briscoe caught up to Bell, driving alongside him before taking the lead due to better cornering. Briscoe was able to hold off Bell to score his first win of the year.


2019 U.S. Classic
The 2019 U.S. Classic, known as the 2019 GK U.S. Classic for sponsorship reasons, is the 36th edition of the U.S. Classic gymnastics tournament. The competition was held on July 20, 2019, at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.


2019 U.S. F2000 National Championship
The 2019 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship was the tenth season – since its revival in 2010 – of the U.S. F2000 National Championship, an open wheel auto racing series that is the first step in INDYCAR's Road to Indy ladder, operated by Andersen Promotions. A 15-race schedule was announced on September 25, 2018, consisting of five permanent road courses and two street circuits on the NTT IndyCar Series schedule each hosting doubleheaders, and a single race at the Dave Steele Classic on a short oval.


2019 U.S. F2000 National Championship
American Braden Eves of Cape Motorsports won the championship in a tightly contested points race by winning the final race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca over New Zealander Hunter McElrea of Pabst Racing. Eves won six times with two other podium finishes while McElrea, who had won the Road to Indy Shootout to earn his place on the U.S. F2000 grid, won four times with eight other podiums. Danish driver Christian Rasmussen won three races and finished tied for the third most points with American Colin Kaminsky. Rasmussen won third by virtue of Kaminsky not capturing any race wins. Darren Keane won one race and finished fifth in the championship. Australian Cameron Shields, who ended his championship campaign after the Toronto round, was the sole other race winner on the season.


2019 U.S. F2000 National Championship
Pabst Racing won its third straight team championship despite their top driver McElrea losing out on the drivers' championship.


2019 U.S. Figure Skating Championships
The 2019 GEICO U.S. Figure Skating Championships were held from January 18, 2019 – January 27, 2019 at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. Medals will be awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dancing at the senior, junior, novice, intermediate, and juvenile levels. The results will be part of the U.S. selection criteria for the 2019 Four Continents Championships, 2019 World Junior Championships, and the 2019 World Championships.


2019 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Qualifying
Competitors qualified at regional and sectional competitions, held from October to November 2018, or earned a bye. The top four finishers in each discipline at sectionals earned a spot at the National Figure Skating Championships. A list of qualified skaters was published on December 13, 2018.


2019 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Schedule
The Little Caesars Arena, the home of the Detroit Red Wings which opened in September 2017, will host all junior and senior (Championship) level practices and competitions. The Detroit Skating Club will host all Juvenile, Intermediate and Novice practice sessions and competitions from January 18 – 22, 2019.


2019 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, International team selections, World Championships
U.S. Figure Skating began announcing the team for the 2019 World Championships on January 26.


2019 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, International team selections, Four Continents Championships
U.S. Figure Skating began announcing the team for the 2019 Four Continents Championships on January 26.


2019 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, International team selections, World Junior Championships
U.S. Figure Skating began announcing entries for the 2019 World Junior Championships team on January 26. The men and ladies will be selected after a training camp. The men and ladies were announced on February 5.


2019 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, International team selections, World Junior Championships
U.S. Figure Skating invited the following skaters to a selection camp for Junior Worlds.


2019 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships
The 2019 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships (also known as the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships for sponsorship purposes) was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 51st edition of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, and an ATP Tour 250 event on the 2019 ATP Tour. It took place at River Oaks Country Club in Houston, Texas, United States, from April 8 through April 14, 2019.


2019 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2019 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships – Doubles
Max Mirnyi and Philipp Oswald were the defending champions, but Mirnyi retired from professional tennis at the end of 2018 and Oswald chose to compete in Marrakesh instead.


2019 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships – Doubles
Santiago González and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi won the title, defeating Ken and Neal Skupski in the final, 3–6, 6–4, [10–6].


2019 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships – Singles
Steve Johnson was the two-time defending champion, but lost in the second round to Daniel Elahi Galán.


2019 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships – Singles
Cristian Garín won his first ATP Tour title, defeating Casper Ruud in the final, 7–6(7–4), 4–6, 6–3.


2019 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships – Singles, Seeds
The top four seeds received a bye into the second round.


2019 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships
The 2019 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships was the 56th edition of the U.S. National Gymnastics Championships. The competition was held from August 8–11, 2019 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.


2019 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships, Competition schedule
The competition featured Senior and Junior competitions for both women's and men's disciplines. The preliminary competition schedule was as follows:


2019 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships, National team
The top 6 all-around females automatically made the national team. For juniors, Kayla DiCello, Konnor McClain, Olivia Greaves, Skye Blakely, Sydney Barros, and Ciena Alipio were the top 6 finishers. Additionally Sophia Butler, eMjae Frazier, Lilly Lippeatt, and Anya Pilgrim were also added to the National Team. For seniors the top six were Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Grace McCallum, Morgan Hurd, Leanne Wong, and Jordan Chiles. Additionally Jade Carey, MyKayla Skinner, Trinity Thomas, Kara Eaker, and Riley McCusker were also added to the senior national team.


2019 U.S. Open (badminton)
The 2019 U.S. Open (officially known as the Yonex US Open 2019 for sponsorship reasons) was a badminton tournament which took place at Titan Gym in Fullerton, California, United States, from 9 to 14 July 2019 and had a total purse of $150,000.


2019 U.S. Open (badminton), Tournament
The 2019 U.S. Open was the thirteenth tournament of the 2019 BWF World Tour and was also a part of the U.S. Open championships which has been held since 1954. This tournament was organized by the USA Badminton and sanctioned by the BWF.


2019 U.S. Open (badminton), Tournament, Venue
This international tournament was held at Titan Gym in Fullerton, California, United States.


2019 U.S. Open (badminton), Tournament, Point distribution
Below is the point distribution table for each phase of the tournament based on the BWF points system for the BWF World Tour Super 300 event.


2019 U.S. Open (badminton), Tournament, Prize money
The total prize money for this tournament was US$150,000. Distribution of prize money was in accordance with BWF regulations.


2019 U.S. Open (golf)
The 2019 United States Open Championship was the 119th U.S. Open, played from  June 13–16 at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California. It was the seventh major and sixth U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, which last hosted U.S. Opens in 2000 and 2010, won by Tiger Woods and Graeme McDowell, respectively.


2019 U.S. Open (golf)
Gary Woodland won his first major title by three strokes over world number one Brooks Koepka. Ranked 25th coming into the tournament, and having never finished in the top 20 in the U.S. Open previously, he was generally seen as a surprise victor. Koepka had won four of the last nine majors, and was attempting to become the first player to win three straight U.S. Opens since 1905.


2019 U.S. Open (golf)
Woodland shot 68 in the first round, and 65 in the second, to lead by two strokes after 36 holes. He shot 69 in the third round, to have a single-stroke lead over Justin Rose going into the final day. After shooting a 69 in the final round, he converted a 54-hole lead into a victory for the first time in eight attempts in stroke-play events. His 72-hole winning score, a 13-under-par 271, was the lowest relative to par since 2011 and included a stretch of 34 holes without a bogey. Woodland led the field in scrambling, having begun the week ranked 169th in that category.


2019 U.S. Open (golf)
The previous winner of the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, Graeme McDowell, finished tied for 16th with a 3-under-par 281. Tiger Woods was tied 58th after the first round, and began his final round by bogeying four of his first six holes, but rallied on the back nine to finish tied for 21st with a 2-under-par 282. Justin Rose entered the final round one shot back of Woodland but made three bogeys on his final seven holes to finish tied for 3rd. On his 49th birthday, six-time U.S. Open runner-up, Phil Mickelson finished with a 4-over-par 288, having won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am earlier in the year at Pebble Beach.


2019 U.S. Open (golf)
79 players made the cut, including four amateurs. The leading amateur was Norwegian Viktor Hovland, who had qualified by winning the 2018 U.S. Amateur, which was also held at Pebble Beach. He finished tied for 12th at 4-under-par, to become first low amateur at the Masters and U.S. Open in the same season since Matt Kuchar in 1998.


2019 U.S. Open (golf)
The U.S. Open traditionally has a winning score around par, but a joint record 31 players finished under par for the tournament. This was partly attributed by the media to the soft conditions resulting from a marine layer, and relatively low wind speeds for a links-style course.


2019 U.S. Open (golf), Venue, Course layout
Pebble Beach hosted the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February of the same year. The changes made to the course since that event include reducing par from 72 to 71, cutting the greens from .125" to .110", and growing the rough from 2" to between 3-5".


2019 U.S. Open (golf), Field
About half the field consisted of players who are exempt from qualifying for the U.S. Open. Each player is classified according to the first category in which he qualified, and other categories are shown in parentheses.


2019 U.S. Open (golf), Field
Lucas Glover, Dustin Johnson (9,11,12,13,14), Martin Kaymer, Brooks Koepka (7,9,11,12,13,14), Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy (6,7,8,9,12,13,14), Justin Rose (11,12,13,14), Webb Simpson (8,11,12,13,14), Jordan Spieth (5,6,13,14)


2019 U.S. Open (golf), Field
Devon Bling (a), Viktor Hovland (a), Kevin O'Connell (a), Michael Thorbjornsen (a)


2019 U.S. Open (golf), Field
Sergio García (13,14), Patrick Reed (11,12,13,14), Danny Willett, Tiger Woods (9,12,13,14)


2019 U.S. Open (golf), Field
Bryson DeChambeau (12,13,14), Matt Kuchar (13,14), Kevin Na (12,13,14), Xander Schauffele (11,12,13,14)


2019 U.S. Open (golf), Field
Daniel Berger, Tony Finau (12,13,14), Tommy Fleetwood (12,13,14), Tyrrell Hatton (13,14)


2019 U.S. Open (golf), Field
Keegan Bradley (13,14), Patrick Cantlay (13,14), Paul Casey (13,14), Rickie Fowler (13,14), Billy Horschel (13,14), Patton Kizzire, Marc Leishman (13,14), Hideki Matsuyama (13,14), Phil Mickelson (13,14), Jon Rahm (13,14), Cameron Smith (13,14), Kyle Stanley (13,14), Bubba Watson (13,14), Aaron Wise, Gary Woodland (13,14)


2019 U.S. Open (golf), Field
An Byeong-hun (14), Abraham Ancer, Kiradech Aphibarnrat (14), Lucas Bjerregaard (14), Rafa Cabrera-Bello (14), Matthew Fitzpatrick (14), Jim Furyk (14), Branden Grace (14), Justin Harding (14), J. B. Holmes (14), Charles Howell III (14), Kevin Kisner (14), Li Haotong (14), Luke List, Shane Lowry (14), Keith Mitchell (14), Alex Norén (14), Thorbjørn Olesen (14), Louis Oosthuizen (14), Pan Cheng-tsung (14), Ian Poulter (14), Chez Reavie, Adam Scott (14), Brandt Snedeker (14), Matt Wallace (14)


2019 U.S. Open (golf), Field
The remaining contestants earned their places through sectional qualifiers. Each site has n spots allocated amongst m players denoted (n/m).


2019 U.S. Open (golf), Round summaries, First round
2013 champion Justin Rose birdied his final three holes to shoot 65 (−6), equaling the record for lowest round shot in a U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, and taking a one-shot lead. Xander Schauffele eagled the 18th hole to join Rickie Fowler, Louis Oosthuizen and Aaron Wise in a tie for second. Two-time defending champion Brooks Koepka birdied four of his first six holes before falling back to two-under and a tie for 16th. Seventeen eagles were made during the round, a new U.S. Open record.


2019 U.S. Open (golf), Round summaries, Second round
Gary Woodland holed a 50-foot birdie putt on the 9th hole, the last of his round, to post a bogey-free round of 65 (−6) and take a two-shot lead. His 36-hole score of nine-under ties Gil Morgan in 1992 for lowest in a U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. First-round leader Justin Rose was in second place after a round of 70 (−1). Louis Oosthuizen was tied for the lead but had just one par on his back-nine, making four birdies and four bogeys to finish three shots behind.


2019 U.S. Open (golf), Round summaries, Second round
Rory McIlroy got to within a shot of the lead before a bogey at the 13th and double bogey at the par-5 14th, falling into a tie for fourth place and four behind. Brooks Koepka became the first defending champion since 1988 to begin his title defense with two sub-70 rounds and was part of a group tied for sixth, five behind.


2019 U.S. Open (golf), Round summaries, Second round
Amateurs: Wu (−2), Eaton (E), Hovland (E), Thorbjornsen (+2), Tibbits (+3), Rebula (+4), Eckroat (+5), Yu (+5), Hagestad (+7), Hillier (+7), O'Connell (+8), Parziale (+9), Young (+9), Norton (+13), Bling (+20)


2019 U.S. Open (golf), Round summaries, Third round
Gary Woodland, the 36-hole leader, was two-under par through 11 holes before finding trouble on the par-3 12th, hitting his tee shot into the rough. Still, off the green after his second shot, he made a 33-foot chip shot to save par. At the par-5 14th, his fourth shot almost rolled back down off the green but managed to stop just short. He then made a 42-foot putt to save par yet again. He parred the last four holes to shoot 69 (−2) and take a one-shot lead into the final round. Justin Rose got up-and-down from a greenside bunker for birdie at the par-5 18th to get to 10-under, a shot behind Woodland.


2019 U.S. Open (golf), Round summaries, Third round
Louis Oosthuizen birdied three holes in a row from the 15th to the 17th to get into a tie for third with Chez Reavie and two-time defending champion Brooks Koepka, four shots behind. Koepka didn't make a bogey in a round of 68 (−3).


2019 U.S. Open (golf), Round summaries, Final round, Summary
Gary Woodland, who came into the final round with a one-shot lead, birdied two of his first three holes and, despite a bogey at the 9th, still led by two making the turn. Brooks Koepka was four-under through five holes but failed to birdie the par-5 6th from a greenside bunker and missed a six-foot putt for birdie at the 7th to trail by two going to the back-nine.


2019 U.S. Open (golf), Round summaries, Final round, Summary
At the par-5 14th hole, Woodland went for the green from 264 yards out, his 3-wood just clearing the bunker in front of the green and settling on the hill to the left of the green where he was able to make birdie. Koepka, meanwhile, failed to birdie the same hole after driving into the rough and hitting his third shot onto the same hill.


2019 U.S. Open (golf), Round summaries, Final round, Summary
Still leading by two heading to the par-3 17th, Woodland's tee shot finished on the fringe, 90 feet away from the hole. Forced to chip because of the mound dividing the green, he got his second shot to within 3 feet to save par. Koepka's approach at the par-5 18th went over the green where he failed to get up-and-down for birdie, missing a 9-foot putt to finish at 10-under. Now needing only a bogey at the last to win, Woodland hit an iron off the tee and laid up with his second shot. His third found the green 30 feet to the right of the flag, and he made the putt to shoot a final-round 69 (−2) and finish three shots ahead of Koepka at 13-under.


2019 U.S. Open (golf), Round summaries, Final round, Summary
Justin Rose, one back at the start of the round, played his final 11 holes in 4-over and fell back to a tie for third place with Jon Rahm, Chez Reavie, and Xander Schauffele. Amateur Viktor Hovland finished at 4-under 280, breaking Jack Nicklaus's record for lowest score by an amateur in the U.S. Open; he finished tied for 12th, which was the best by an amateur since Jim Simons tied for 5th in 1971.


2019 U.S. Open (golf), Media
This was the fifth U.S. Open televised by Fox and FS1. During Fox's primetime window in the first round, FS1 offered coverage hosted by Justin Kutcher following the group of Justin Rose, Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods, and the group of Viktor Hovland, 2018 champion Brooks Koepka, and Francesco Molinari. Due to commitments to baseball and the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, there were no plans for similar coverage on FS1 during the remainder of the tournament.


2019 U.S. Open Cup
The 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 106th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, a knockout cup competition in American soccer. It is the oldest ongoing competition in the United States, and was contested by 84 teams from leagues in the U.S. system.


2019 U.S. Open Cup
The 84 entrants included the 21 American clubs from Major League Soccer and 25 non-affiliated American clubs in the USL Championship. The new USL League One entered its six non-affiliated clubs. The qualification tournament, held in 2018 and early 2019, determined seven teams from local amateur leagues. The 10 entrants from the USL League Two and the 14 from the National Premier Soccer League were determined based on results achieved in those leagues in 2018. Finally, beginning this year, the reigning champion of the National Amateur Cup, Milwaukee Bavarian SC, was invited to the tournament.


2019 U.S. Open Cup
Houston Dynamo were the defending champions but were eliminated in the round of 16 by Minnesota United FC.


2019 U.S. Open Cup
Atlanta United FC won their first Open Cup title, defeating Minnesota United FC 2–1 in the final.


2019 U.S. Open Cup, Number of teams by state
A total of 34 states and the District of Columbia are represented by clubs in the Open Cup this year.


2019 U.S. Open Cup, Number of teams by state
States without a team in the Open Cup: Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.


2019 U.S. Open Cup, Brackets
Host team listed firstBold = winner* = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout score


2019 U.S. Open Cup, Match details, First Round
The First Round of the Open Cup took place on May 7 and 8. There were 19 games between eight local qualifiers, 14 NPSL, 10 League Two, and six League One teams. The teams were paired geographically. The pairings were announced on April 10.


2019 U.S. Open Cup, Match details, Second Round
The Second Round was played on May 14 and 15. 22 games were played between the 19 Round 1 winners and 25 USL Championship teams. Each Round 1 pairing was matched to a Championship team, and the six remaining Championship teams were paired against each other. Pairings were made geographically, and announced on April 17.


2019 U.S. Open Cup, Match details, Third Round
The Third Round was played on May 28 and 29. 11 games were played between the winners of Round 2. Pairings were made geographically, and announced on May 14.


2019 U.S. Open Cup, Match details, Fourth Round
The Fourth Round took place on June 11 and 12. The Fourth Round consisted of 16 games between the 11 Third Round winners and the 21 American MLS teams. The teams were divided into eight regional groups of four, with either one or two Third Round teams. Pairings were drawn from the eight groups and announced on May 30.


2019 U.S. Open Cup, Match details, Round of 16
The Round of 16 took place June 18, 19, and 20. The Round of 16 draw took place on June 13. The Fourth Round winners were divided geographically into four groups and pairings were determined within those groups. A fixed bracket for the rest of the tournament was established.


2019 U.S. Open Cup, Match details, Semifinals
The semifinals took place on August 6 and August 7. The hosts of the semifinals were drawn on July 11.


2019 U.S. Open Cup, Broadcasting
On April 5, 2019, U.S. Soccer announced a 4-year deal with ESPN to broadcast the Open Cup. The entire tournament, from first round to final, will be carried exclusively on the ESPN+ streaming service; in previous years, ESPN networks had only broadcast marquee matches such as the final.


2019 U.S. Open Cup Final
The 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final was a soccer match that was played on August 27, 2019, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It determined the winner of the 2019 U.S. Open Cup, the 106th edition of the oldest competition in U.S. soccer, which was open to amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation. The match was contested by two Major League Soccer teams making their debuts in the final: hosts Atlanta United FC, in their first Open Cup final, and Minnesota United FC; both teams entered MLS as expansion teams during the 2017 season.


2019 U.S. Open Cup Final
Atlanta won the match 2–1, taking their second major trophy and qualifying for the 2020 CONCACAF Champions League. The match was broadcast in English on online streaming service ESPN+. Atlanta was given first priority to host the match if they advanced, based on a random draw conducted by the United States Soccer Federation.


2019 U.S. Open Cup Final, Road to the final
The U.S. Open Cup is an annual soccer competition open to adult teams in the United States that are affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation. Its 84 participants include professional and amateur teams, with the exception of reserve and academy teams that are directly owned and operated by Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs. The 2019 tournament was the 106th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, the oldest ongoing soccer tournament in the United States. The 21 eligible MLS teams entered in the fourth round, facing teams from the USL Championship and National Premier Soccer League.


2019 U.S. Open Cup Final, Road to the final
The finalists, Atlanta United FC and Minnesota United FC, both play in MLS and entered the league during the 2017 season as expansion teams. Both teams represented states that had never sent a team to a U.S. Open Cup final. Their most recent meeting, played in May at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, ended in a 3–0 victory for Atlanta.


2019 U.S. Open Cup Final, Road to the final, Atlanta United FC
Atlanta United FC, the defending MLS Cup champions, were eliminated by the Chicago Fire in the Round of 16 during the previous edition of the U.S. Open Cup. The match was played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and set a new attendance record for the competition, with 41,012 spectators. They were scheduled to play their first match of the 2019 tournament on June 11 against the Charleston Battery in Charleston, South Carolina, but field conditions caused by heavy rain forced it to be moved to Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia.


2019 U.S. Open Cup Final, Road to the final, Atlanta United FC
The match was played behind closed doors on June 13 and ended in a 3–1 victory for Atlanta United. The hosts fell behind in the 20th minute to a goal by Charleston's Ian Svantesson, but equalized through Romario Williams in the 79th minute. In extra time, substitute striker Brandon Vazquez scored twice to earn his team a place in the Round of 16.


2019 U.S. Open Cup Final, Road to the final, Atlanta United FC
Atlanta played away to the Columbus Crew in the Round of 16 after being drawn into the Mideast regional bracket. Atlanta took a 2–0 lead in the opening fourteen minutes, with Vazquez scoring his third goal of the tournament and defender Miles Robinson scored his first professional goal. David Accam scored for Columbus before halftime, but Vazquez added a third goal for Atlanta in the 65th minute to maintain the two-goal lead. Six minutes later, a cross from the Crew's Waylon Francis was deflected by Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan into his own net for an own goal.


2019 U.S. Open Cup Final, Road to the final, Atlanta United FC
After an hour-long rain delay, Atlanta United held on to win 3–2 and advance to the quarterfinals. Atlanta fielded most of its first team in the quarterfinals against Saint Louis FC, a USL team that had eliminated two MLS teams in prior rounds of the tournament. Atlanta outshot Saint Louis 21–11 and had the majority of possession, but were unable to score in the first half. The scoreless match was broken in the 53rd minute, when Pity Martínez scored from within the penalty area. A penalty kick, awarded to Atlanta during stoppage time after a foul on Dion Pereira, was converted by Josef Martínez to end the match with a 2–0 victory.


2019 U.S. Open Cup Final, Road to the final, Atlanta United FC
In its semifinal fixture against Orlando City SC, Atlanta took the lead in the 37th minute through a goal by Eric Remedi after his initial shot was saved by goalkeeper Adam Grinwis. After two chances to equalize were missed by Orlando, Atlanta's Emerson Hyndman scored his first goal for the club, giving the visitors a 2–0 win and their first berth to the U.S. Open Cup final.


2019 U.S. Open Cup Final, Road to the final, Minnesota United FC
Minnesota United FC, nicknamed the Loons, began their U.S. Open Cup campaign in the fourth round with a match against Sporting Kansas City at their home stadium, Allianz Field. Minnesota took the lead in the second minute through a goal by Ángelo Rodríguez, but Kansas City's Gerso Fernandes scored an equalizer in the 27th minute to keep the teams level at halftime. In the first 20 minutes of the second half, Minnesota scored three goals to clinch their place in the Round of 16, including a brace by Darwin Quintero.


2019 U.S. Open Cup Final, Road to the final, Minnesota United FC
In the Round of 16, the Loons played away to the defending U.S. Open Cup champions, the Houston Dynamo. The fixture was a rematch of the 2018 U.S. Open Cup's Round of 16, in which Houston eliminated Minnesota. The Dynamo took a 2–0 lead in the first half with goals by Ronaldo Peña and Tomás Martínez. Quintero scored another brace to equalize for Minnesota, with goals in the 66th minute and in the 82nd minute from long range. Substitute forward Mason Toye scored on a tap-in in the 89th minute to complete a 3–2 comeback victory for Minnesota United as they advanced to the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals for the first time in club history.


2019 U.S. Open Cup Final, Road to the final, Minnesota United FC
In the quarterfinals, Minnesota United hosted USL side New Mexico United, who had defeated two MLS teams in earlier rounds and arranged a special charter flight for 400 of their fans to attend the match at Allianz Field. Santi Moar scored the opening goal for New Mexico in the seventh minute, but the Loons responded with five goals before halftime and an additional goal in the second half.


2019 U.S. Open Cup Final, Road to the final, Minnesota United FC
The equalizer for Minnesota was scored in the tenth minute by Ángelo Rodríguez, who went on to earn a first-half hat-trick to add to goals by teammates Darwin Quintero and Ján Greguš; Miguel Ibarra was the lone goalscorer in the second half, finishing his first home goal of the season in the 62nd minute.


2019 U.S. Open Cup Final, Road to the final, Minnesota United FC
Minnesota hosted the Portland Timbers in the semifinals in a rematch of an MLS fixture three days earlier at Allianz Field that ended in a 1–0 victory for the hosts. The Loons took the lead in the 22nd minute with Darwin Qunitero's penalty, which was awarded after a free kick struck defender Claude Dielna's hand. Portland's Brian Fernández equalized for his side in first half stoppage time with a close-range shot, but Minnesota retook the lead in the 64th minute through a goal by Mason Toye, who finished a long run with a shot from inside the box.


2019 U.S. Open Cup Final, Road to the final, Minnesota United FC
Portland missed a chance to equalize in stoppage time after a shot by Sebastian Blanco bounced off goalkeeper Vito Mannone and hit the post before heading wide, giving the Loons a 2–1 victory. Minnesota midfielder Osvaldo Alonso advanced to his seventh Open Cup final, having played for the Charleston Battery in the 2008 final and the Seattle Sounders FC in five finals from 2009 to 2014. The match would also be the first competition final for Minnesota United since they entered MLS.


2019 U.S. Open Cup Final, Venue
Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta hosted the U.S. Open Cup final, the first final to be played there and second U.S. Open Cup match following a Round of 16 fixture hosted by Atlanta United FC in 2018. The stadium opened in 2017 and previously hosted MLS Cup in December 2018 and the Campeones Cup earlier in August 2019. Atlanta was awarded first priority to host the final during the semifinal hosting draw, which was conducted by the United States Soccer Federation on July 11, 2019. It was the thirteenth match and first final in U.S. Open Cup history to be played indoors.


2019 U.S. Open Cup Final, Broadcasting
The match was broadcast on ESPN+, an online streaming service that carried all other matches of the tournament. The competition final had previously been broadcast on national television since 1994, with the exception of the 1996 final. The English language broadcast was called by play-by-play commentator Jon Champion and color analyst Taylor Twellman.


2019 U.S. Open Cup Final, Match, Summary
The match was watched by 35,709 spectators, breaking the attendance record for the tournament final that was set during the 2011 final in Seattle. Approximately 750 people supporting Minnesota United were seated in the three designated away sections. Atlanta played the same starting lineup that was used a week earlier in MLS play, including a five-midfielder formation, while Minnesota rested Darwin Quintero and replaced him with Hassani Dotson in the starting lineup.


2019 U.S. Open Cup Final, Match, Summary
Atlanta missed their first chance to score in the match, a shot from Josef Martínez in the second minute that was ruled offside, but took the lead in the tenth minute through an own goal from Minnesota. Defender Leandro González Pírez received a through ball from Pity Martínez and swung for a high cross from the end line that was deflected by Minnesota defender Chase Gasper over the head of goalkeeper Vito Mannone, who was able to get a touch but unable to save the shot.


2019 U.S. Open Cup Final, Match, Summary
Minnesota missed a chance to equalize two minutes later as defender Michael Boxall's header was off target, and conceded a second goal to Atlanta in the 16th minute. Justin Meram's low cross from the left flank found Pity Martínez, who shot from the center of the box to claim a 2–0 lead. Five minutes later, Meram passed the ball at the top of the box to Ezequiel Barco, who tried a curling shot that was pushed wide by Mannone.


2019 U.S. Open Cup Final, Match, Summary
Minnesota kept pressing for a goal, including a header by Ike Opara in the 33rd minute that went wide of the post, and reduced the lead to 2–1 two minutes after halftime. Minnesota midfielder Kevin Molino ended his run down the right flank with a low pass to Robin Lod at the top of the six-yard box, which he volleyed into the goal off the left post.


2019 U.S. Open Cup Final, Match, Summary
Within minutes of conceding, Atlanta made two attempts at goal through a shot by Julian Gressel and another by Josef Martínez, but both were saved by Mannone; Martínez also had another shot in the 53rd minute that was ruled offside. Molino had a chance to equalize for Minnesota in the 69th minute after receiving a deflection from Atlanta defender Florentin Pogba, but was unable to beat Brad Guzan with his one-time shot.


2019 U.S. Open Cup Final, Match, Summary
Atlanta played the last 16 minutes of the match with 10 players after González Pírez was sent off in the 74th minute, having earned two yellow cards within three minutes for dissent and grabbing Molino off the ball. Minnesota manager Adrian Heath responded by substituting Quintero into the match, while Atlanta's Frank de Boer brought on Franco Escobar and switched to a formation with five defenders to protect the lead. Minnesota had the majority of possession late in the match and earned several corner kicks, but were unable to create a dangerous scoring chance until stoppage time.


2019 U.S. Open Cup Final, Match, Summary
Opara chested down a ball and shot towards the goal in the first minute of stoppage time, requiring Guzan to make a diving save. In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Opara headed down a cross that fell to Boxall, but his volleyed shot from point-blank range went over the crossbar.


2019 U.S. Open Cup Final, Match, Details
Assistant referees:Brian Poeschel	Nick UrangaFourth official:Ramy TouchanReserve assistant referee:Brian Dunn